You were born in Kolkata, but you have a link with Bangladesh. How is that ?

My father is from Dhaka, my mother from Barisal. I have visited Bangladesh countless times from a very young age. Dhaka, Narayangunj, Dinajpur and many other places, long before my connection with Cinema. Then, when I went to Bangladesh again to shoot for Padma Nadir Majhi (BUY BENGALI MOVIE DVD), I found it very amusing. To shoot for this film, I had to stay in Bangladesh over an extended time, working with actors from Bangladesh, and to prepare for the role, I had to become darker complexioned - get a tan.

Padma Nadir Majhi is one of a very few movies produced jointly by producers from West Bengal and Bangladesh. Do you think movies should be jointly produced, targeted towards both Bangladeshi and West Bengal movie lovers ?

Wonderful movies like these can be made with joint production. Somehow, even today, there is an underlying affinity between the people of Bangladesh and West Bengal. When families gather, even now, somehow the old stories come up - partition is still a cause of painful remembrance. We (the cinema industry) have not explored these aspects fully - it is time we did.

You have graduated with degrees in Mathematics and Economics, and arrived in the world of film later in your career. How did you get into cinema ?

I was a student of science, and cinema was never really of particular interest to me. I have not performed as an actress while in school either. I used to just sing Rabindra Sangeet. After graduating from school, many people - some relatives, some family friends, some friends, started to give me opportunities of acting - some of which I accepted, some I declined ... after a while, I started to like the work.

As an actress and part of the film industry, where do you think today's Bengali Movie stands in its path of evolution ?

Contemporary Bengali films have now significantly started to cater to the international audience, for a few years now ... Padma Nadir Majhi, Abar Aranya ... I went to Cannes Film Festival with Padma Nadir Majhi. I have actually travelled to numerous International Film Festivals as an actress in many movies. So ... for about 10 to 12 years now, Bangla film is making a place for itself in the international arena. There is already a niche audience who watch subtitled Bengali movies. These people look forward eagerly to Bengali movies - I have myself met many people, mostly in film festivals, who have watched a great number of Bangla movies, in some cases, more than me.

Bengali movies are now addressing contemporary issues, and have started to be technically savvy ... human relations and emotions, and exploration of relationships is still a strong aspect of Bangla cinema - and a source of its strength.

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